Israeli troops injure 2 in southern Gaza Strip

Two Palestinians have been injured by Israeli gunfire in the southern Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli blockade for the past five years.

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said the Palestinians in their 20s were shot by Israeli troops on Monday as they walked near the border fence in southern Gaza.

Qudra stated that the shooting occurred near the fence to the east of the southern city of Rafah, adding that one man was shot in the arm and the other in the leg.

Israeli airstrikes, shelling, and artillery fire left at least 166 Palestinians, including many women and children, dead and over 1,200 others injured from November 14 to November 21. An Egypt-mediated ceasefire agreement, which took effect at 1900 GMT on November 21, ended the eight-day Israeli onslaught on Gaza.

Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.

The apartheid regime of Israel denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, and adequate healthcare and education.